Express-News Commentary by Janet Ahmad |
Monday, 13 February 2006 |
Comment: Homebuyers deserve better protection In early 2003 the building industry contrived convincing tales of woe, along with millions in political action committee contributions, that persuaded some Texas lawmakers to help create the unprecedented experimental state agency... In the comptroller's report, there is compelling evidence that lawmakers made a mistake and were duped into going along with the building industry's long-term plan to thwart homeowners. The report gives failing grades to TRCC, and the revelations are reprehensible... despite the requirement for a criminal background check, "TRCC files show that a currently registered builder was convicted of burglary of a vehicle, burglary of a building and attempted homicide. Another builder was convicted of a sex crime and registered as a sex offender just months before he was allowed to register as a homebuilder." |
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Slums & Foreclosures of Tomorrow |
Thursday, 19 January 2006 |
Disposable Housing Today are the Slums and Foreclosures of Tomorrow
The home building industry is unregulated and out of control. Homes are not built to even minimum HUD or State standards, warranties give a false sense of security and are unenforceable. |
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Editorial- Avoiding Builder Contracts |
Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
Warning! Avoiding Builder Contracts that Harm New Home Buyers
How to minimize the risks
A message from Janet Ahmad |
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Sunday, 30 January 2005 |
Cincinnati Enquirer Hammer home-builder fraud Two pairs of local white-collar criminals are prison-bound for similar fraud schemes that ripped off banks and home buyers. Bankers John Finnan and Marc Menne were sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Covington to 63 and 54 months respectively for their roles in the $30 million Erpenbeck home-building fraud. Eleven days earlier, Fairfield home builder Chester Calkins and his wife, Antonette, pleaded guilty to a similar $5 million scam. |
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Be careful what you ask for in Texas |
Thursday, 16 December 2004 |
Texas Homeowners with defective homes ask for consumer protection and this is what they got A Homeownerâs Nightmare: No Protection from Money Pits. The Legislature passed in 2003 HB730, which greatly restricts the rights of homeowners to get their builder to fix major construction problems. Under this new law, homeowners no longer have common law rights to an implied warranty of good and workmanlike construction, nor can they sue for Deceptive Trade Practices. These important rights, once taken for granted, have been replaced by a very limited state-mandated warranty that covers few defects. In addition, a homeowner canât go to court without first going through a lengthy, bureaucratic process and paying for expensive inspection fees. In short, fewer homeownersâ rights, lots more bureaucracy. Homebuilders are among the stateâs biggest donors. They gave over $5.2 million in our 2002 state elections. The biggest donor in Texas, Bob Perry of Perry Homes, alone gave over $3.8 million. Perry Homesâ general counsel was appointed to the board of the new Residential Construction Commission, which will enforce the new home construction law. |
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